Mitch: A Path of Destruction
Special Report by Declan McLaughlin
Millions are affected as the worst hurricane of the
season causes havoc in southern Florida. With winds
of up to 180mph, the tropical storm has caused up to
$6billion worth of destruction, destroying homes and
leading to widespread flooding. Well over 10,000 are
believed to have been killed,
with Nicaragua and Honduras
bearing the brunt of the storm. Hurricane Mitch caused over $6billion worth of damage, most
Development in some of the prominently in Honduras.
western hemisphere's poorest
countries has been set back by
as much as 50 years. Hundreds
of people are still missing.
Mudslides claimed the lives of
nearly 2,000 people and left
hundreds of thousands
homeless. And as Mitch
continued to wreak havoc, the
Casita volcano erupted and a
minor earthquake hit the city of
Chinandega. Despite abating in
the days before, Mitch regained
strength over the Gulf of Mexico
on 3 November, hitting southern
Florida and gradually heading
towards the western coast on 5
November. Tornadoes and winds
of up to 55mph (88kph) knocked
down trees and power lines in
the Florida Keys region. Much of
southern Florida was put under a
tropical storm warning and shelters were opened in
the Key West and Key Largo. Due to its slow motion
from October 29 to November 3, Hurricane Mitch
dropped historic amounts of rainfall in Honduras,
Guatemala, and Nicaragua, with unofficial reports of
up to 75 in. Deaths due to catastrophic flooding
made it the second deadliest Atlantic hurricane in
history; nearly 11,000 people were killed with over
11,000 left missing. According to the British
Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the hurricane has
left 14,000 dead in Honduras alone with over 70% of
crops destroyed. Many experts believe that it will
take these countries as long as 20-30years to fully
recover from this disaster with an estimated $6billion
worth of damage leaving Honduras and Nicaragua
with a spiralling debt problem. Honduras is one of the
world's poorest nations. It is one of the most deeply
in debt. It repays loans to the IMF,
World Bank and others at the rate
of £1m ($1.7m) a day. Mitch
formed in the western Caribbean
Sea on October 22, and after
drifting through extremely
favorable conditions, it rapidly
strengthened to peak at Category 5
status, the highest possible rating
on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane
Scale. After drifting southwestward
and weakening, the hurricane hit
Honduras as a minimal hurricane. It
drifted through Central America,
reformed in the Bay of Campeche,
and ultimately struck Florida as a
strong tropical storm. Due to the
threat, the government of
Honduras evacuated some of the
45,000 citizens on the Bay Islands
and prepared all air and naval
resources. The government of
Belize issued a red alert and asked
for citizens on offshore islands to
leave for the mainland. Because
the hurricane threatened to strike
near Belize City as a Category 4 hurricane, much of
the city was evacuated in fear of a repeat of
Hurricane Hattie 37 years earlier. Guatemala issued a
red alert as well, recommending boats to stay in port, along the western Caribbean coastline, including damage and loss of life, the Hurricane killed over
telling people to prepare or seek shelter, and warning 100,000 in Honduras, 10,000 in Guatemala, and 19,000 people in each of these countries making it by
of potential over flown rivers. By the time Mitch 20,000 in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Despite far the worst hurricane of the 1998 season.
made landfall, numerous people were evacuated the governments’ attempts to decrease the level of